play with a full deck

present singular third person plays with a full deck · participle present playing with a full deck · participle past played with a full deck · past played with a full deck

1. CanadaUSidiomaticTo behave in a manner suggesting that one is of normal intelligence, alert, and mentally stable.

   I think we all realize he's not playing with a full deck.

   1965, George Carlinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu-trYf96xo#t=268

   3 more examples

   Someday our grandchildren will look up at us and say, "Where were you, Grandma, and what were you doing when you first realized that President Reagan was, er, not playing with a full deck?"

   1987 April, Barbara Ehrenreich, “The Unfastened Head of State”, in Mother Jones, volume 12, number 3, page 10

   [E]very single person, who Grandma said were family members, appeared to be either mentally ill, retarded, or strung out on drugs. Grandma seemed to be playing with a full deck, but no one else was.

   2009, Julie Lyons, chapter 1, in Holy Roller, →ISBN

   “My father’s favorite saying was, ‘Are you alright?’ and ‘Are you playing with a full deck?’” recalled Darren.

   2014 June 4, Cary Shuman, “Former Chelsea High Football Standout and Pop Warner Coach Joe Leonard Dies at 84”, in Chelsea Record, US, retrieved 14 Oct 2015

2. hobbiesTo play a game with the availability of a team's full roster of players.

   The Bulls were closer to playing with a full deck Monday night when coach Tom Thibodeau announced that Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol would be in the starting lineup.

   2014 November 24, Fred Mitchell, “Monday's recap: Bulls 97, Jazz 95”, in Chicago Tribune, retrieved 14 Oct 2015

   Synonyms: sane